It's bound to be. Anyone who stretches a hand of sympathy to the distressed and the needy is bound to be looked on with suspicion, if not outright animosity.

It's the sign of the times. A symptom of the malady that is called cynicism. It wiped off recently a whole epic film called "Swades". No one could believe any film could be so devoid of negativity, so filled with nobility and goodness.

Cynics pounded "Swades" to a pulp, reduced it to a rubble, made it out to be the worst film on this earth.

And now many of Vivek Oberoi's colleagues continue to believe he is a publicity-hungry jerk.

Said one of his fraternity: "There's nothing that Vivek won't do to be in the news. Even go all the way to a tsunami-hit village and pretend to weep tears of blood for the poor victims. Oh, leave them alone! They've already suffered enough. Do they have to suffer Oberoi as well?"

Such red-hot animosity for someone who has toiled day and night with the cyclone hit!

What is it about Vivek that raises the hackles of the industry? It isn't a question with simple answers. It isn't to do with what Vivek does. It's to do with his belief in what he does. A man who has strong convictions and isn't afraid to articulate and exercise them will always be disliked. He's a threat to the culture of hypocrisy that prevails all around us.

I haven't come across a more misunderstood man in my life. Vivek is supposed to be a pompous and opinionated liar. Sorry, he is none of that.

In all the time that I've known him, he has never once shown himself to be the "arrogant little creep" that one of his heroines calls him.

It's another matter that she wanted to have an affair with him. Vivek wasn't interested. This, I got to know much later, when a lot of bad blood had flown between us. After Vivek went public with his strongly worded tirade against Salman Khan on television, I lashed out against him.

I fell for the "publicity-hungry self-promoting" image that was incessantly pounded into Vivek's name. To his credit he never caved in.

Since then I've numerous instances to the contrary. I've seen how compassionate he gets when he talks about underprivileged women and children. Working with various relief and charity organisations, I've seen Vivek's voice brim over with pain and warmth for those who can't afford a decent healthy life.

Perhaps it's to do with the death of a childhood girlfriend who died of cancer.

"Naatak all naatak," asserts a friend (obviously not Oberoi's!). "See how he called you and every important journalist and TV channel after adopting a village. Kya zaroorat thi itna hungama karne ki?"

Precisely. And the fact is Vivek didn't create any 'hungama' about his charity work. He didn't once get in touch with me to talk about the work he has done for the tsunami victims. On the contrary, I contacted him, persuaded him to talk about his experiences. Once he started, the words flew out of his tired mouth in a free outpouring of anguished recollection.

I listened to him in stunned silence as he spoke of women and children almost perishing of despair and then bouncing back to life as hope was rekindled in their hearts.

"Don't write about me, please!" he urged me. ("Naatak naatak!" screamed my cynical friend). "Write about the people who are coming forward to donate money for this cause."

Publicity hungry? Sorry, I don't buy that image of Vivek Oberoi. I stopped buying it long ago. There were differences between us... oh, major differences. I knew him from before the release of his debut film "Company" when he was seeing Gurupreet Gill. I know him now when he's with Aishwarya Rai. In the interim, he has fallen out with a lot of people including his mentor Ram Gopal Varma.

I stood by people who had decided to ostracise Vivek. He took it all in his stride. The only time he came close to losing his cool was when, after a very rude comment from me, he burst out, "If you are Subhash K Jha, I'm Vivek Oberoi."

That he is. And a much- misunderstood compassionate soul whose heart bleeds for those not privileged enough to live comfortably.

Let's presume for a moment that he did go to help the tsunami victims because he wanted to get media attention. At least he made the effort to go to the troubled spot, held people's hands, made himself useful to society.

How many of us actually have the courage to stand by our convictions? Vivek is down right now. Any every one feels qualified to take a potshot at him. But I feel "Kisna" will take care of that. It's a new beginning for this man of convictions who for some inexplicable reason is vilified and castigated by everyone who knows him even well, or otherwise.

I know otherwise.